


Matthew, Chapter 15, Verses 19 and 20

by merryghoul



Category: Boardwalk Empire
Genre: Other, Religious Themes & References, Whipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-28
Updated: 2011-07-28
Packaged: 2017-10-21 20:43:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Nelson came to the conclusion of flogging himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matthew, Chapter 15, Verses 19 and 20

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-series.
> 
> Title comes from Biblical passage mentioned in this fic. Beliefs in the fic compiled from religious websites and Wikipedia (and are not my own).

Nelson Van Alden was taught at a young age that lust was a sin. Specifically, the lusting of female flesh outside of courtship and marriage was considered unholy. Acting out on that lust was considered even worse. His parents and the minister at his church would often quote the Bible in support of their beliefs. _For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies,_ they would say. _These are the things which defile a man._

Nelson Van Alden was also taught at a young age that whatever his body did, it was evil. His body was at war with his pure soul. Eventually Nelson came to the conclusion that in order to free his body from evil, he had to follow in the footsteps of Christ. Christ was flagellated prior to His crowning with thorns. The flagellation allowed the evils of Christ's body to escape. Without the purging of the evils in Christ's body prior to His crucifiction, Christ was not able to ascend to His throne in Heaven. Therefore, whenever Nelson's body was tempted by earthly, sinful pleasures, he would take a belt, knot it and flog himself on the back 39 times, per Moses's Law, to allow the sins to be released from his body. The 39 lashes ensured his sinful body would be punished enough without committing suicide. Forty lashes and Nelson would have died--and sinned for committing (accidental) suicide.

One time a teenaged Nelson walked past a brothel. He noticed one of the women standing near the entrance of the brothel--she had her leg up on a crate. She was exposing one of her stockings and her high-heeled shoe, attempting to lure in potential clients to the brothel. Nelson stopped walking. He stared at the curve of the woman's thigh. Daydreams of Nelson kissing the woman on her foot and up her thigh popped into his head. Before he envisioned himself between the woman's legs and falling into the trap of acting out his lust, Nelson ran back to his home. He locked his bedroom door.

Nelson took off his shirt and his belt. A knot was placed in the belt. He drew a breath and held on tightly to the belt with his right hand. He flogged his back with the belt. The sting of the belt against his flesh was painful. Nelson winced as the belt hit his back. He didn't want to make noise; to do so meant possibly upsetting his mother, and he didn't want his mother to discover he was in pain. A red blush appeared on his back.

Nelson flogged his back 38 more times. He kept flogging his back at a steady pace; he would flog his back; wince, take a 30 second break, and continued flogging again. The more Nelson flogged his back, the more the skin on his back would break and start to bleed. When the air hit the sores on Nelson's back he felt as if the sin of wanting to pleasure the prostitute at the brothel was leaving his body. His soul was being purified.

After the 39 lashes on his back Nelson rolled on his bed, letting the welts on his bed bleed through his sheets. He stared at the ceiling and daydreamed of the day when Christ would meet him at the gates of Heaven.


End file.
